This is the moment Miss Fit and I have been waiting for! We have come to the beginning of the end of the real tiered skirt. Or, maybe I should say it’s the end of the beginning, since weaving is just the beginning of this skirt. My next step is to finish the fabric: find and repair errors, wash, dry, press. And then, on to construction: detail studies, measure, cut, gather, sew seams. And lastly, of course, I will find an occasion to wear the summery subtly-patterned huckaback skirt, even if summer has already slipped into hiding until next year.
Beaming the 24/2 cotton warp on my 100 cm Glimåkra Ideal Countermarch loom.Fabric for the first tier of a three-tiered skirt. 16/1 linen weft.Fabric for the second and third tiers of the skirt. Classic pattern in five-shafthuckaback.Cloth beam fills with skirt fabric as I near the end of the warp.Weave until there is nothing left to weave. That’s my motto.Cutting off as dusk hits the windows.First view off the loom is always a special moment. Love at first sight!Miss Fit is modeling a preliminary muslin of the tiered skirt. I will do some detail studies with small pieces of the handwoven fabric, and then make a final muslin before sewing the “real” tiered skirt.Detail of skirt fabric.
May you see your ideas take shape.
Miss Fit’s double, Karen
8 thoughts on “Miss Fit and I”
Love your fabric! It must have a wonderful texture. I am new to your mailing list, and enjoying it! Hope pictures of the finished skirt are coming soonish.
Hi Anne, No promises on how soon the skirt will be ready, but I do promise to show it finished! I am eager to wash this fabric, which will reveal the actual texture it will have for the garment. That will make a difference in how much gathering I want in the skirt. We shall see…….. It’s pretty exciting! I am so happy to have you along for the ride.
I look forward to you sharing the process going forward. And, of course the final reveal.
It is a beautiful day. And time of day. Cool. Dry. The night bugs are asleep. The day bugs are just waking up. Need I say perfect.
Then your posting.
Blessings and enjoy the day.
Off topic a bit. We moved 3 hours to our retirement home last winter. There are many skilled crafts people in the area, basis what I’ve observed working in the church kitchen.
Last week was the county fair. I went to the home ec judging to make connections near our new home. A few finished projects were pulled from my shelves to have some skin in the game and pick up a few pointers.
What I came away with was stunning lack of participation.
My belief includes sharing with others. Tithe, time, talent. Entering a few finished projects on a public forum such as a blog, or county fair is part of sharing talent. Showing others possibilities in a skill.
No entry fees. Modest premiums. Drop off noon to 8pm. Pick up 5 o’clock Sunday. Hundreds of entry lot possibilities.
Total lack of interest on the entry side. The fair is well attended.
Karen,
What lovely colors you have chosen to use for the skirt warp.
As an avid long time costumer and sempstress of Elizabethan and Victorian clothing I noticed that your muslin is made from very light weight fabric whereas your handwoven cloth is heavier.
You will find better results in the finished product if you match weights of fabric. In other words, the weight of the muslin/mock up should match the weight of your hand woven fabric. Looking forward to seeing the finished skirt.
Best wishes, Martha
Hi Martha, I am grateful to learn from your experience! Thank you for giving excellent advice.
This first muslin served its purpose of getting the proportions I wanted, and giving me a good estimate of how much yardage I needed to weave. I wasn’t sure what the final weight or drape of the fabric would be, so I knew I would need to make another muslin. Now I know the next muslin needs to be of a similar weight to the handwoven fabric. I can see how that will help me know how much or little to gather the fabric, too.
I’m also considering a somewhat different construction, so my detail studies will show me best options for that, too. There’s quite a bit to do before I sew up the real thing!
Thanks again for offering advice from your experience. I really appreciate it!
Karen
Love your fabric! It must have a wonderful texture. I am new to your mailing list, and enjoying it! Hope pictures of the finished skirt are coming soonish.
Hi Anne, No promises on how soon the skirt will be ready, but I do promise to show it finished! I am eager to wash this fabric, which will reveal the actual texture it will have for the garment. That will make a difference in how much gathering I want in the skirt. We shall see…….. It’s pretty exciting! I am so happy to have you along for the ride.
All the best,
Karen
Good morning Karen,
I look forward to you sharing the process going forward. And, of course the final reveal.
It is a beautiful day. And time of day. Cool. Dry. The night bugs are asleep. The day bugs are just waking up. Need I say perfect.
Then your posting.
Blessings and enjoy the day.
Off topic a bit. We moved 3 hours to our retirement home last winter. There are many skilled crafts people in the area, basis what I’ve observed working in the church kitchen.
Last week was the county fair. I went to the home ec judging to make connections near our new home. A few finished projects were pulled from my shelves to have some skin in the game and pick up a few pointers.
What I came away with was stunning lack of participation.
My belief includes sharing with others. Tithe, time, talent. Entering a few finished projects on a public forum such as a blog, or county fair is part of sharing talent. Showing others possibilities in a skill.
No entry fees. Modest premiums. Drop off noon to 8pm. Pick up 5 o’clock Sunday. Hundreds of entry lot possibilities.
Total lack of interest on the entry side. The fair is well attended.
I am baffled.
Nannette
Hi Nannette, The final reveal is something we can all look forward to.
Perhaps you moved to the area for a reason – to be a positive influence on the creative folks around you. No doubt, you are that.
All the best,
Karen
Beautiful colors and lovely pattern, Karen. I hope you will be attending Convergence next summer as I would love to see it in person.
Hi Annie, I don’t know about Convergence yet, but there’s always CHT in Sugar Land after that. 🙂
Thank you,
Karen
Karen,
What lovely colors you have chosen to use for the skirt warp.
As an avid long time costumer and sempstress of Elizabethan and Victorian clothing I noticed that your muslin is made from very light weight fabric whereas your handwoven cloth is heavier.
You will find better results in the finished product if you match weights of fabric. In other words, the weight of the muslin/mock up should match the weight of your hand woven fabric. Looking forward to seeing the finished skirt.
Best wishes, Martha
Hi Martha, I am grateful to learn from your experience! Thank you for giving excellent advice.
This first muslin served its purpose of getting the proportions I wanted, and giving me a good estimate of how much yardage I needed to weave. I wasn’t sure what the final weight or drape of the fabric would be, so I knew I would need to make another muslin. Now I know the next muslin needs to be of a similar weight to the handwoven fabric. I can see how that will help me know how much or little to gather the fabric, too.
I’m also considering a somewhat different construction, so my detail studies will show me best options for that, too. There’s quite a bit to do before I sew up the real thing!
Thanks again for offering advice from your experience. I really appreciate it!
Karen